A Discount Phone that Changed a Life

Eleanor’s face was stoic as she opened the door to get out of her sister’s car. Her sister, Janet, had parked directly in front of the new Boost Mobile store at 8155-A Governor Ritchie Highway in Pasadena, MD. She took her time to retrieve her walker from the back seat, then slowly yet deliberately proceeded to the nearest lowered curb, only a few feet from the store’s door, so she could easily access the sidewalk. She took a few minutes, but she finally made it to our door. We saw her get out of the car, but we were not sure if she was coming to see us or going to the restaurant, the Eastern Bistro, next door. I hurried to open the door for her. “Welcome to Boost Mobile,” we greeted. “I sure hope you can help me,” she said as she made her way inside. “My sister saw your sign and recommended that I come and speak with you instead of going to Walmart,” she said as she sat on our cushioned bench. “I use MTA Mobility,” she explained, “and they told me I need a new phone to take advantage of all of their services.” “What type of phone do you have?” I asked, and she pulled out a flip phone on the Tracfone network. It had to be the oldest technology I’d held in my hands in years. “I also need all of my contacts and pictures transferred over. I’m not technical, so you need to explain how all of this works. Can you help me?” she asked. “Of course,” I responded. “Oh, thank you!!” she exclaimed, then reached up from her seat, arms stretched wide to give me a hug. “You don’t know how much this means to me!”

Eleanor’s Tracfone had a cracked screen, but somehow she knew how to work it. She said her service plan cost her $43 a month, and she had to be careful about her minutes. In the end, Eleanor left the store with a new LG Tribute Dynasty, an Android smartphone filled with the 250+ contacts and 100+pictures from her Tracfone and 1000+ Google contacts she emailed on her computer (apparently Eleanor was very popular). She left with the knowledge of how to do cool things like take selfies and send text messages. Because of her disability, she had trouble typing, so she was very appreciative for her phone’s voice-to-text feature. She could not believe her new unlimited plan only cost $50 a month, not much more than her Tracfone service, but a much greater value. Once we found out her son lived in Europe, we let her know that for an additional $10 a month, she could send him unlimited text messages and speak to him for 200 minutes a month. Her son was incredulous when his mother texted him a selfie. I heard her tell him “I love you” before she hung up after making her first international call on her new phone. Boost Mobile is a pre-paid service, so with her permission, we signed her up for Auto-TopUP. This feature automatically pays her bill every month so that she does not have to come into the store. Besides these benefits, Eleanor can now use MTA MobilityLink’s PassWeb app, which provides her the convenience of booking her trips on her phone. Boost Mobile offered Eleanor’s phone at a discounted rate, and we waived her activation fee and gave her a discount on her case. She used her new phone called Janet to pick her up. It was easy because we set up Janet as a favorite. Then, we had to plead with her to so that she wouldn’t give us a tip. “You guys provide 5-star customer service,” she said. “I never would have received this level of service at Walmart.” “I’m next,” Janet told us as we helped Eleanor to her car.

About Boost Mobile of Pasadena, MD by Wireless Life: Wireless Life opened a Boost Mobile store in Pasadena, MD in May 2019. June 2019 is their Grand Opening Month, where they are offering 20% off on all accessories in the store. Wireless Life’s vision is to not only offer customers the best of Boost Mobile, but also to offer services that enhance the Wireless Live’s of the community. For example, visit their website at www.wirelesslifenow.com and you will find a video explaining how to quickly configure Facebook privacy settings.